Tandem spring draft-rigging for railway-cars.



PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906.

CARS.

J. P. OGONNOR. TANDEM SPRING DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY APPLICATION IILEDFEB. 16. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0- 829,'727. PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906- J. F. O'CONNOR. TANDEM SPRINGDRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 16. 1906.

THEETSSHEET 2.

- To all whom, it may concern:

UNITED STATES "PATENT, OFFICE.

JOHN F. OCONNOR, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 w. H. MINER COMPANY,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF-ILLINOIS.

TANDEM SPRING-DRAFT-RIGGING FOR RAILWAY-CARS.-

-Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1906."

Application filed february 1B, 1906- Serial No. 301.341.

Be it knoun that 1, JOHN F. OCoNNoR, a citizen of the United States,residing in Chi cago, in the county of Cook and State .of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Tandem Spring Draft-Rigging forRailway-Cars, of which the following is a specification. dfly inventionrelates to improvements in tandem spring draft-rigging for railway-cars.The Ob ect of my invention is to rovide a tandem spring draft-riggingfor rai way-cars of a strong, simple, efficient, and durable COD.struction which will be compact in form and occupy a comparativelylimited amount of space and which may be made of any desired tension orcushioning power without'mate- Y rially increasing the space occupied byit, in

which there will be no liability to impart to the springs a permanentset or injury, however great or severemay be the strain 'to which theyare subjected, and which will properly cushion the movements of thedrawar in both pulling and buffing. 1 "My invention consists in themeans I employ'to practically accomplish this object or result-that isto say, it consists, in connection with the draw-bar and draw-bar strapand the draft-sills and side plates or stop castings secured thereto, ofa reciprocating springcage having pockets or chambers to receive each aseries-of flat spring-plates and a pain of followers, one at the frontand the other at the rear of the reciprocating spring-cage, and adaptedto abut against the same when the s ring -plates are compressed, bent,or deected to the desired extent, the springecage and the followershaving concave and convex bearing-surfaces to engage the springs andcause the same to be deflected under the movement of the followers and sring-cage,

preferably onthe followers and the concave earing-faces onthespring-cage and two series of straightilat springsfitting in the cham'bersor pockets of the spring-cage and interposed between the spring-cageand the front and rear followers, respectively.

My invention also consists in the novel con-' struction of parts anddevices and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein-shownand described.

the convex bearing-surfaces or aces being part of'this specification,Figure 1' is a side elevation, partly in central vertical section, ofthe tandem spring draft-rigging embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is aplanview,v artly in horizontal section. Fig. 3 is an en arged verticalcross-section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the reciprocating spring-cage,and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the followers.

In the drawings, A represents the center sills or draft-sills of theframework of a-car to which the draft-rigging is applied. A is the frontor cross sill, A the carry-iron, and A the body-bolster or transverseframe-piece at the rear of the'draft-rigging.

B is the car-coupler, B the draw-bar, and B the draw-bar strap, yoke, orextension secured to the draw-bar in the customary man. ner by bolts orrivets.

O O are the side plates, cheek-plates, or

stop-castings of the draft-rigging, the same 1 havingfront and rearstops or shoulders c c for the front and rear followers D D to abutagainst and being rigidly secured to the center sills or draft-sills ofthe car by rivets or bolts 0 The side plates or stop-castings O have thecustomary upper integral guides or flanges O and also lower removableguides C secured in place by bolts 0 so that upon removal of the lowerguides O the springs, spring cage or box, and followers of thedraftrigging may be'easily and conveniently removed and replaced whendesired.

F is a movable or reciprocating spring cage or box having front and rearchambers or, pockets F F? to receive the tandem-arranged front and rearseries of fiat straight springs G G", which are inter osed between thespring cage or box F and t e front and rear'followers DD.

The front and rear followers D D each have" convex curved bearing-faces(1, preferably of a skeleton or web construction, as illustrated in thedrawing to enga o and bear against the springs G at the mi dle portionthereof, and the reciprocating spring cage or box F hascorrespondingly-curved concave bearing-surfaces f, so that the springs GG engage the cage at their ends when the springs are in their straightor unflexed osition, as will be readily understood from 1g. 2 of thedrawings. While it isimmaterial whether the 0011- In theaccompanying'drawings, forming a vex spring-engaging faces be on thefollowers 4 in the ends of the cured toget spring cage in manufacture,

'of te or on the spring cage or box, I preferto make the followers withthe convex bearing-faces and the spring cage or box with the concavebearing-faces. The followers D D are du plicates of each other, as thisis a convenience and each is provided with flanges or walls (1, whichpreferably fit withspring cage or box F and telescope therewith. Thefollowers also have shoulders (1 which abut against the ends of thespring cage or box F and limit the extent escoping movement of thefollowers in respect to the spring'cage or box, and the consequentcompression or flexure of the s )rings. Each set or series G G ofstraight at spring-plates are preferably loosely seer by bolts or rivets9 near the middleof the springs, so as not to interfere with theirflexure, the bolts serving to hold the springs to ether and being thus aconvenience in handIing the s rings.

he spring cage or ox F, in connection with the series of straightflatspring-plates G and the curved bearin face or wall f ofthe cage intoand againstw 'ch the springs are flexed, constitutes a closed orair-compression chamber F or F in which as the springs are bent by, thesudden movements of the draw-bar'the air is ractically confined andcompressed, thus adhing materially to the cushioning power of thedraft-riggin as the air can escape from this closed 0 amber ut slowlythrough'the very limited openings or crevices existing between the upperand lates and the u lower edges of the spring- 'ng walls of t e per andlower surroun spring'box or cage.

claim-- 1. In a draft-rigging, the combination with side plates orstop-castings and the draw-bar and draw-bar strap or extension, of areciprocating s rin cage or'box furnished with a" pair of 0 am ers orpockets to receive two series or sets of flat straight spring-plates, a"

pair of followers, said followers and said or box having cooperatingcurved bearing-faces engaging the springs, and two tandem-arranged flatstraight springs interposed in the cham bers or pockets of said springcage or box between it and the followers, substantially as specified. I2. In a draft-rigging, the combination with side plates or stop-castingsand the draw-bar and draw-bar strap or extension, of a reciprocatingspring cage or box furnished with a pair of chambers or pockets toreceive two series or sets of flat straight spring-plates, a pair offollowers, said followers and said spring cage or box having cooperatingcurved bearing-faces engaging the s, and two tandem-arranged sets orseries of flat straight springs interposed in the chani ers or pocketsof said spring cage or box between it and the followers, said followerscurved bearing-faces -a follower and sets or series of rocating springcage or box furnished with a' panof chambers or pockets to receive twoseries or sets of flat straight spring-plates, a pair of followers, saidfollowers and said spring cage or box having cooperating curvedbearing-faces engaging the springs, and two tandem-arranged sets orseries of flat straight springs interposed in the chambers or pockets ofsaid spring cage or box between it and the followers, said followershaving shoulders abutting against the ends of said spring cage or box tolimit the extent of flexure or compression of the springs, substantiallyas specified.

' 4. In a draft-rigging, the combination with the draw-bar and draw-barstrap or extension, and side plates or stop-castings having front andrear stops for the followers to abut against, of a reciprocating springcage or box, a follower and a series of straight, flat springs,interposed between said follower and the spring cage or box, said springcage or box and the follower having cooperating to engagethe springs andcause their flexure, substantially as specified.

5. In a draft-rigging, the combination with the draw-bar and draw-barstrap or extension, and side plates or stop-castings having front andrear stops for the followers to abut against, of a reciprocating springcage or box, -a series of straight, flat sprin s, interposed betweensaid follower and t e spring cage or box, said spring cage or box andthe follower having cooperating curved bearing-faces to engage thesprings and cause their flexure, and means for connecting said series ofstraight flat springs together, substantially as specified.

' 6. In a draft-rigging, the combination with the :draw-bar and draw-barstrap or extension, and side plates or stop-castings having front andrear stops for the followers toabut against, of a reciprocating springcage or box,

.a follower and a series of straight, flat springs, interposed betweensaid follower and the spring cage or box, said spring cage or b0x andthe follower having cooperating curved bearing-faces to engage thesprings and cause their flexure, said side plates or stop castingshaving a lower removable guide upon which said spring cage or box andsaid follower reciprocates, substantially as specified.

1 7. In a draft-rigging, the combination with the draw-bar, and draw-barstrap or extension, of side plates or stop-castings having. front andrear stops for the followers to abut against, of-areciprocating springcage or box having a closed or air-confining pocket to reand operating1to compress the air in the ceive the springs and a curved bearing-facechamber of t e spring cage or box as the to engage the springs, afollower having a springs are flexed, and thus increasing thecorrespondingly-curved bearing to engage resisting capacity of thedraft-rigging, subthe springs, and a series of straight flat stantiallyas specfied.

springs interposed between said follower and 9. A combined air andspring resistance the spring cage or box and operating tocorndraft-rigging havin in combination a spring press the air in theconfined chamber of the cage. .or box, a ollowerand interposed cage orbox as the springs are flexed, substraight flat springs fitting theinterior of stantially as specified. said spring box or cage and formingthere- 8. In a draft-rigging, the combination with with a closedair-chamber, substantially as a spring cage or box having a closed orairspecified.

confining chamber into whichthe' springs are J OHN F. O CONNOR. flexed,a follower and a series of straight flat Witnesses: spring-platesinterposed between the follower EDMUND Anooox,

and the bearing-face of the spring cage or box H. M. MUNDAY.

